Rock legend Bruce Springsteen felt “capable of handling” fame when he was at the height of his career.
Bruce Springsteen felt “capable of handling” fame when he was at the height of his career.
The 75-year-old rock legend first enjoyed success with his Born To Run record in the mid-1970s and then had a major resurgence with Born in the U.S.A. a decade later, and admitted that while he had “no particular interest” in staying at that level of fame, it was a “cool thing” at the time.
He told The Sunday Times: “Well, I was 35. I had previous experience [of fame] at 25, so I was capable of handling the moment. Ninety per cent I enjoyed the ride, 10 per cent of it was stressful, and my take on it now is that it was a cool thing to be at the height of the cultural conversation in the pop world for a while. I just didn’t have any particular interest in staying there. That’s a fool’s game.”
The Dancing in the Dark hitmaker also fronts the E Street Band but now lives in New Jersey with his wife and co-star Patti Scialfa – with whom he has Evan, 34, Jessica, 33, as well as 31-year-old Samuel – and inisisted that the kind of work he does now is more “important than the money” about more about “writing great” music.
He said: “Of course, and I was lucky enough to have Elvis, the Beatles and Bob Dylan, to follow in their footsteps — or not follow in their footsteps. From there I learnt how important it was not to lose focus on who I am or the work I’m doing. It’s more important than the money, although it’s great to get paid well. It’s more important than the fame, although that can be fun too, and a nuisance on occasion. I simply wanted to write great songs, play great shows and have a conversation with a great audience. It is what I’ve dedicated my life to doing.”
Bruce Springsteen explains why he felt ‘capable of handling’ fame at the height of his career
